Trump admin blocks Venezuelan government from paying Nicolas Maduro’s legal fees

The Trump administration moved to block the Venezuelan government from covering the legal costs of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is fighting federal drug trafficking and weapons charges in New York, according to a court filing from his lawyer.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and weapons charges in federal court in New York on January 5, just days after American forces captured them at the presidential palace in Venezuela.

Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case in the Southern District of New York, that the U.S. is blocking the Venezuelan government from covering his client’s legal fees.

“The Venezuelan government has an obligation to pay Mr. Maduro’s fees. Mr. Maduro has a legitimate expectation that the Venezuelan government will do so, and Mr. Maduro is otherwise unable to practice law,” Pollack wrote.

In his letter dated February 20, Pollack argued that “in accordance with Venezuelan law and custom, the Venezuelan government covers the President and First Lady’s expenses.”

Pollack said Maduro and the Venezuelan government are subject to sanctions by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and that his legal counsel must be licensed and paid to represent him.

Pollack said that while OFAC issued licenses to both Maduro and Flores on January 9, Maduro’s license was changed “without explanation” to prevent the Venezuelan government from paying defense costs.

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Captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, along with their lawyers Barry Pollack and Mark Donnelly, appeared at the hearing in federal court in New York City on Monday, January 5, 2026. (Jane Rosenberg)

Flores’ license was not affected, according to Pollack.

Pollack said OFAC “interfered with Mr. Maduro’s ability to retain counsel” and violated his Sixth Amendment right to counsel of his own choosing.

Maduro’s lawyer said OFAC had not responded to his request to return the original license and threatened legal action if he continued to do so.

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Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are seen in handcuffs after landing on a Manhattan helipad before being taken to the Federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026 in New York City. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images)

“Should OFAC fail or deny action on the request to reinstate the original license, Mr. Maduro will file a formal petition seeking relief from the Court in the coming days,” he wrote.

The US military organized an operation to capture Maduro in Caracas on January 3. Maduro was taken to New York and held in a federal prison there.

Maduro was charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

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Flores faces three charges: conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Fox News Digital has contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Treasury Department for comment.

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